Our Michael Yiakoumi was able to meet Greek star Giorgos Karagounis Argentina a, Inter Milan and Machester United legend Juan Sebastian Veron, former Tottenham legends Martin Chivers and Pat Jennings.
Paul Gascoigne made an emotional return to White Hart Lane in Tottenham’s final test event at their new stadium before they host their first Premier League match on Wednesday.
About 45,000 fans watched a Spurs legends team, also featuring Jurgen Klinsmann and David Ginola, play against an Inter Milan side led by former boss Jose Mourinho.
The game was the second to be played at the new 62,062-capacity Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in order to gain a necessary safety certificate.
Former England and Spurs midfielder Gascoigne, 51, got the biggest cheer of the evening when he came on to the pitch for a cameo appearance.
Former Tottenham and Inter striker Klinsmann played for both teams during the evening.
“I’m really honoured and really happy to be here and it is such a special day to get this new stadium going,” said the German, a World Cup winner in 1990.
“Hopefully it takes Spurs into the future, with a lot of trophies.
“It is very special. Even if it is 25 years ago that I came here for the first time, the way people welcome me is something I will never, ever forget and I will always appreciate.”
Spurs, who lost the game 5-4, were captained by their former forward Robbie Keane, who was among the goalscorers and performed his trademark cartwheel celebration.
Other players involved included Dimitar Berbatov, who scored a towering header, Juan Sebastian Veron, Nayim and Laurent Blanc.
The first game to be played at the £1bn stadium was an under-18 game against Southampton on 24 March, which Spurs won 3-1.
Spurs will host Crystal Palace in their first Premier League match at the stadium at 19:45 BST on Wednesday.
In his club career, Karagounis played as a midfielder for Panathinaikos, Apollon Smyrni, Internazionale, Benfica and Fulham.
At international level, Karagounis represented Greece between 1999 and 2014. He was a member of the UEFA Euro 2004-winning squad, and also represented Greece at Euro 2008, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Euro 2012 and the 2014 World Cup. With 139 appearances, he is the most capped player in the history of the Greece national team.
Juan Sebastian Veron is a retired Argentine footballer and current chairman of Estudiantes de La Plata, where he had served as Director of Sports. A former midfielder, Verón’s career started in Estudiantes, continued in Argentina’s Boca Juniors, and included stints in several clubs in the Italian Serie A (where he won the Scudetto with Lazio and with Internazionale, and a UEFA Cup with Parma), and England’s Manchester United and Chelsea. In 2006, Verón returned to Estudiantes, where he remained until his retirement in 2014, aside from a brief spell with Brandsen. He announced his short return to first team football would occur in the Copa Libertadores 2017.
At international level, Verón obtained 73 caps for Argentina between 1996 and 2010, scoring 9 goals. He represented his nation at three FIFA World Cups, and at the 2007 Copa América, where he won a runners-up medal.
Martin Chivers was Born in Southampton, he began his professional career with Saints but in January 1968 Tottenham manager, Nicholson decided he needed to bolster his attacking resources and signed Chivers for a then club record fee of £125,000. The deal made him the most expensive player in the country and he began replaying the club’s considerable investment immediately – scoring on his debut against Sheffield Wednesday.
A pacey and powerful centre forward, Martin Chivers spent eight years at White Hart Lane and was key member of the early 1970s side that won silverware in three successive seasons under legendary manager Bill Nicholson.
Chivers truly blossomed at the Lane following Jimmy Greaves’ departure to West Ham in 1970 and in the 1970-71 campaign he scored 21 times in the First Division, as well as scoring both goals in Spurs’ 2-0 victory over Aston Villa in the final of the League Cup.
Capped for the first time by England the same year, Chivers rich vein of form continued the following season. The striker scored 44 times in 64 appearances for the club, including a brace in the Uefa Cup final victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, and his place in club folklore was already assured.
He added the 1973 League Cup to his collection after Norwich were beaten in the final and by the time Chivers left Spurs for Swiss side Servette in 1976, he had amassed a grand total of 367 appearances for the club, scoring 174 times.
Pat Jennings OBE (born 12 June 1945) is a Northern Irish former footballer. He played 119 games for Northern Ireland as a goalkeeper, a figure which at the time was a world record and is still a Northern Ireland record, in an international career which lasted for over 22 years. During his career Jennings played for Newry Town, Watford, and in the top division with Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, winning the FA Cup with both of the north London rivals. In total, Jennings made over 1,000 top level appearances, and despite being a goalkeeper he scored in the 1967 FA Charity Shield.
